Karl was always so nice and helpful. It didn’t seem possible he could have kidnapped her.
And why would he?
When the door handle moved, she got up and ran to the other side of the bed, putting it between her and whoever was coming in the door.
She looked out the window close to her. No way out unless she jumped. It looked as if she was three stories up easily. Was she in some attic?
“Morning,” Karl said. He had a tray in his hand. There looked to be toast on it and her floral cup. What the hell? “I’ve got your breakfast. Coffee in your favorite mug and peanut butter toast just like you like it.”
She backed against the wall as he moved into the room. There was no use asking how he knew she ate that for breakfast. He’d been watching her for months.
“Why am I here?”
“There is no reason to be afraid,” Karl said calmly. Nothing at all like the man who drugged and kidnapped her yesterday. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
That was a joke. “You drugged me. And brought me here. Wherever this is!” she yelled, her arms moving around.
“Calm down. You’re going to give yourself a headache like you do when you’re upset.” Karl put the tray on the bed and moved back toward the door. “You’re safe here. Safer with me than any of those other men in your life. I know what you need and want. I’ll make sure you get it. It’s just going to take time for you to adapt, but you will.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, the tears rolling down her face.
“I hate to see you crying. So upset. You were crying yesterday when you got home so early in the morning. I knew then that it was time. Time was running out and I couldn’t risk you moving before I had to.”
“Time for what?” He was talking too much for her to comprehend it all. The sweet helpful neighbor she’d had for years was completely mad.
“For you to see there is a man out there that can be perfect for you. You need someone to take care of you. I can do it. You’ve just never seen it fully before, but you will now. Once you get used to being here, you won’t be crying like all those other men made you.”
Her head was shaking side to side. Big mistake as it made her want to vomit.
She had to stay calm to figure a way out of this. “Karl. Where am I? Whose house is this?”
“It’s mine. I bought it a few months ago planning our future when the time was right. Things progressed so quickly that I knew it was now. Fredrick was a horrible person, but you didn’t believe me. He had to hurt you deeply for you to see his true colors. Now we can be together away from those townhouses that have such horrible memories for us both.”
“You wanted to date me? I thought you were gay.”
“No,” Karl snapped. “Everyone thinks that, but it’s not true. I just struggled to find the right woman for me. Once I did, I took time for you to know how perfect we’d be together. Time for me to learn what makes you happy and for you to learn what I need and want. What you can giveme. It doesn’t take long to learn, I know. My mother taught me all I needed to know about discipline and control. You’ll catch on quickly too.”
She never thought Karl thought of her that way. As anything more than a neighbor or nice person.
But she knew he watched her. She just didn’t know he did it this carefully.
As if he was prepping her. Bringing her different foods. Asking her questions about hobbies and TV shows.
“We are friends. That’s it. That’s all it was ever going to be for me.”
“Because you never gave me a chance to show you everything I could do for you.” He wasn’t yelling, but his voice was almost menacing. That control and discipline he bragged about. She hadn’t even known his mother was alive. He’d never talked about her. “I’ve been the shoulder you’ve leaned on when you’ve had men trouble. When you picked losers and they broke your heart over the years. Just like Clay. You came home early and you were angry at him. I saw it in your actions. Angry and upset. You were crying. That’s when I knew. That’s when I made my move.”
She realized that in the past he always asked her about her relationships and she offered more than she should have. Most times he just asked so many questions of her life and she’d hoped by answering he’d leave.
“I’ve never leaned on you,” she said. Her eyes were darting for any escape, but there were none.
“You have,” Karl snarled. “The thing with Fredrick. I told you he wasn’t worthy of you, but you didn’t believe me. He brought the worst out of you. I was sad and disappointed over your actions toward him. Angry also. So angry I kicked your fender.”
“That was you? Richie admitted it.”
“No,” Karl said. “He scratched it, but I kicked it in one day. You didn’t even notice I was upset over something. You didn’t ask. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me. Mother’s lists of order and cleanliness gets confused in my brain and I lose it for a minute before I can reel it back. But you see none of those things.Ever!”
“You laughed with me,” she said. “Over those things I did to Fredrick.”
